One of Clarksville's favorite local eateries celebrated its 10th anniversary this week. Silke's Old World Breads, Bakery & Cafe has been serving traditional German delicacies for a full decade at its College Street location, but the story goes back to very humble beginnings in the owner's home.

Silke Tyler's business started in her home with the addition of a brick oven and a small commercial kitchen, built by her husband.

“We started in 2000, just doing breads wholesale,” Tyler said. “We were delivering to stores. Actually, our bread was in this building right from the beginning. The breads were here before we were, maybe us being in this building was destined.

"There was a store here called Homespun Corner. Their customers started asking for our breads, so we started delivering to them once a week.”

Homespun Corner, Cafe Paradiso and Body, Mind and Spirit were Silke's first three customers in Clarksville.

“From there we started branching out,” Tyler said. “We eventually started the cafe, and now that has been 10 years. It has kept steadily growing. Our wholesale business grew as well. Now we deliver to around 20-25 restaurants every day.”

Corinne Petty stopped by Silke's for the first time Tuesday after being referred by many friends. Petty, who used to live in Germany, was excited to try some of Silke's baked items and currywurst.(Photo: Tony Centonze / For The Leaf-Chronicle.com)

Tyler's menu has evolved over the years, and her customers definitely have their favorite items.

“The soups are popular all year long, and our best selling sandwich is definitely the Reuben,” Tyler said. “We have a lot of gluten-free and vegan items. I think that makes us somewhat unique — we have such a huge offering. Our menu was small back then (10 years ago) compared to what we offer now.”

Other popular menu items include Silke's European-style pizzas and an assortment of specialty sandwiches, many of which you can't find anywhere else in town. The establishment's growing popularity led to an expansion three years ago.

“In 2012 we started our deli, which was also destined to be,” Tyler said. “We were looking for a larger space to bake from. The addition to our house had become way too small. It was overwhelming to try to bake as much as we needed in that small space.”

One day, a customer told Tyler that Doghouse Computers was moving out of the adjacent space and asked if she was moving in. Tyler initially laughed at the question, but the next day she was sitting across from the building's owners discussing the possibility. The remodeling process took about six months, but now the bakery and deli are adjacent to the cafe.

“At first we had the bread corner back here,” Tyler said, pointing to an area in the cafe. “We were selling the breads and pastries here and trying to do the restaurant at the same time. That seems so strange to me now, after having it separate. Now we have the deli, with the lunchmeats and cheeses, and the breads and pastries.”

Jennifer Paulk, right, looks over the offerings in the deli case. Paulk lived in Scotland for almost three years and says the European food is very appealing, but the kid-friendly area in the cafe first brought her to Silke's five years ago.(Photo: Tony Centonze / For The Leaf-Chronicle.com)

Between the cafe, deli, delivery and packaging, as many as 25 people are employed by Silke's. She says someone is always in the building every day.

Tyler credited those employees for the success of her business.

“I think they make the difference," she said. "It is really important to me and my husband that the people who work for us love what they are doing. If they don't, then why do it?”

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Silke's Cafe serves breakfast, lunch and early dinner. They are open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday and 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday.

The deli is open from 6 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Saturday, with the exception of Wednesdays, when they close at 2 p.m.